Retinoid compounds are often used in the treatment of various skin disorders such as acne, psoriasis and like and are available both as naturally-occurring and synthetic derivatives. The naturally-occurring retinoid(s) are derived from Vitamin A; examples are tretinoin (all trans retinoic acid), retinol, retinal and the like. The synthetic retinoid(s) are small chemical molecules that act on retinoic acid receptors (RARs) like naturally occurring retinoid(s); examples of synthetic derivatives are acitretin, tazarotene, and adapalene and the like.
Tretinoin (Formula I) is one of the naturally-occurring retinoids, and is also known as “all trans retinoic acid”. Tretinoin is approved worldwide in topical dosage forms such as gel, cream and the like, for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Tazarotene (Formula II) is a synthetic derivative, which acts on retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and is a prodrug that is converted into its active form, tazarotenic acid, by rapid deesterification.

These retinoids are widely used in various topical dosage forms having the advantage of the ease of their administration to the target site. Generally, skin disorders such as acne are treated by the topical administration of active compounds.
Acne vulgaris is one of the common skin disorders that affect the skin's oil glands. The small holes in the skin (pores) connect to oil glands under the skin. These glands make an oily substance called sebum. Pores of the skin are connected to the glands through a canal called a follicle. Acne is thought to be caused by multiple factors such as overproduction of oil in the skin called sebum, which is increased under the influence of hormones. When the follicle of a skin gland clogs up, it causes inflammation, and thus a pimple grows. Acne affects 85-100% of people at some point in their lives. The most common acne locations include face, neck, chest, and back, where most of the sebaceous glands are located resulting in psychological and social problems.
The currently-available compositions for treating acne include 1) Topical tretinoin; 2) Topical clindamycin alone or in combination with tretinoin and benzoyl peroxide; 3) Oral minocycline; 4) Topical adapalene; 5) Topical tazarotene; 6) Topical benzoyl peroxide alone or in combination with other drugs, and more. Topical retinoid treatment is a promising therapy for the treatment of acne; however the main shortcoming in topical retinoids is that they may cause irritation at the site of administration. Long term application of topical retinoids to the patient's skin causes local irritation.
Generally, topical wash compositions have a profound effect in acne treatment. The cleansing effects of these compositions involve eliminating dirt and dead cells, clearing up acne blemishes and black heads, and preventing the development of new acne pimples. The ideal skin wash composition removes surface oils derived from sebaceous glands, and associated debris, without affecting natural constitutive lipids of skin. Most of the detergent-/soap-containing skin-cleansing compositions have the tendency to affect the natural lipid structure of the skin, or cause dryness to the skin, and some of the facial wash compositions cause greasy feel to the skin. On the other hand, therapeutic retinoids cause irritation to the patient's skin. These skin-cleansing compositions are being offered either as clear liquids, or as opaque base creams and gels.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,465,461 discloses a method of enhancing moisture or reducing dryness using wet skin treatment composition that leaves the skin feeling clean, but non-greasy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,938 discloses a method of treating acne using short-term contact with an acetylenic retinoid, preferably tazarotene and related compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,902 discloses a method of treating psoriasis by short-term contact of a topically-applied retinoid composition.
US patent application 2010/0098776 discloses soap-based liquid body and facial wash compositions comprising an antimicrobial agent. Soap-based liquid composition enhances antimicrobial deposition in the skin.
It is found that the topical composition of the present application comprising a retinoid compound improves skin disorders such as acne or psoriasis by alleviating both inflamed and non-inflamed lesions and the administration of this composition provides more retinoid deposition and less irritation to the subject's skin. The composition also possesses cleansing property without causing dryness to the skin thus, providing better patient compliance. The topical compositions of the present application are topical wash compositions.